by Taylor Luck, Jordan Times.
Among the 1,750 Syrians who crossed into Jordan early Monday, around 200 were injured, according to the Jordan Armed Forces (File photo)
Among the influx were some 200 injured Syrians, the JAF said, most of whom sustained gunshot and shrapnel wounds while attempting to enter Jordan.
Monday’s injured included some 50 rebel fighters wounded in a series of clashes with regime forces over the past week, adding to a reported growing trickle of Free Syrian Army (FSA) soldiers seeking medical treatment in the Kingdom.
Jordan has opened its borders to over 420,000 Syrians since the onset of the conflict in March 2011, number UN officials expect to surpass one million before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, clashes continued between regime and rebel forces across southern Syria, with security and rebel officials reporting heavy shelling and scattered firefights in the towns of Sheikh Maskin, Shajarah and Tal Shihab late Monday.
Rebel officials claim that a series of advances over the past five days has placed the FSA within striking distance of the Ramtha and Nasib/Jaber border crossings into Jordan.
Due to their rapid progress through key border towns such as Tal Shihab and Nasib, rebel officials say they expect little “ground resistance” to their advances.
“There are no longer any regime troops on the ground, only missiles from above,” said Abu Hani Al Darawi, an FSA commander based in the border region.
“The FSA is all but officially in control of the southern border.”
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Jordan, Syria